Seduced by the Wolf

Chapter 10

Snapping her eyes shut, Cassie groaned, feeling like crap. Her shoulder hurt like the blazes, and Leidolf'scarrying her was jarring her way too much to be appreciated. The tranquilizer was still making her brain fuzzy, and her thoughts drifted from memories of studying Arctic wolves in the frozen Canadian Arctic to checking out the red wolves in hot, muggy Florida. And then a flicker of memory that she'd so longed to suppress--her home and her uncles' homes all ablaze, choking smoke filling the air, as she hid in the woods nearby, unable to save them, unable to do anything but save herself. And the horrible guilt she always felt that she'd lived and they'd died.

She blinked away tears and closed her eyes again, the drug making her feel loopy, out of control. She breathed in the masculinity of the virile lupus garou carrying her. She had to know where she stood with this pack and how much trouble she would have with having invaded their territory.

Yet it was their own damned fault. No one had been in the area in eons. No one had left scent markings to claim these particular woods. That much she remembered. Why was she running through the woods as a wolf during the day? Too dangerous: it wasn't like her.

Her thoughts drifted again, back to Leidolf who held her tightly against his chest, as if already claiming her. Possession was nine-tenths of the law, right?

He squeezed her tighter against his hard body as if he was afraid he wasn't holding her close enough. Any closer and she'd be joined to him permanently. Even now, she could smell he had the hots for her. His pheromones had kicked in, screaming he wanted her.

The aroma was so tantalizingly seductive that he triggered her own hormones to give her biological drives away. Which, for her, was just too bizarre to consider. She hadn't felt like that toward any male lupus garou ever. Probably because she tended to stay clear of their kind of packs. Much safer to... her thoughts drifted again like a slip of scent in the breeze that scattered and disappeared.

He glanced down at her, his expression dark as he stalked through the woods, his men pulling branches away so he could walk unimpeded with his head held high, like the king. But his olive green eyes caught her attention, and his lips curved up a hint. He knew, damn it. She couldn't hide her physical reaction to him, not with them both being lupus garous. Not with their all too sensitive sense of smell.

He took in a deep breath, and his smile broadened, a killer smile that could entice any woman to strip off her clothes and scream, "Take me, oh godly one."

And she was ready to do just that, no matter what she stood for. For now, she hadn't a clue what that was. She didn't think she wanted to become any male's mate. But the memory of dancing with Leidolf returned with a vengeance, loving the way he felt, the physical closeness she hadn't shared with anyone in eons. And emotionally, it had felt just as satisfying. But staying with him didn't fit in with her... plans.

Her gaze focused on his bare chest, sculpted abs begging her to explore every inch, to a light smattering of hair trailing down his chest and disappearing into... she couldn't see. Exposing his torso, he wore a leather jacket left open. His stubborn chin, proud and set high, with a light stubble of reddish hair covering it, made him appear sinfully roguish. He looked down at her and smiled, slyly this time. Yeah, he'd caught her ogling him again, showing too much interest.

She moaned and shut her eyes, trying to block out the sight of him, the smell of him, the feel of him holding her close, the heat of his body, the hardness, the firm hold he had on her. His. That's what his whole posture shouted. And for an instant, she enjoyed the feeling, even though she fought against it.

She tried to recall what had happened earlier, before she found herself in his arms. Why was Leidolf carrying her, where was he taking her, and what the hell had happened?

Her mind kept drifting, preventing her from focusing on anything for long. She caught only scattered fragments that didn't make a whole lot of sense--something about hunters and tranquilizers, zoos and veterinary clinics--and then the thoughts faded again, the streaks of pain the only thing that kept her thoughts from shutting down completely. And the smell and heat of him. He exuded danger, although she believed he meant to keep her safe. It was a different kind of peril. Somewhere in the recesses of her mind, she recognized the threat for what it was--her freedom, not her life, was at risk.

She glanced at the two red wolves running ahead of them and at the two older men keeping pace with the macho wolf who carried her. Every once in a while, the two men with him would look at her, smiles on their faces. They thought their leader had found his mate and were mightily pleased.

A big, black Suburban came into view, and two men hurriedly opened the doors. The wolves jumped into the very back seat. The other men waited, looking her over, smiling appreciably.

Elgin hurried around to the driver's side of the vehicle. "Guess old Satros was right when he told us about her fishing for salmon earlier in her red wolf form."

Leidolf laid her gently on the seat. "Head for the ranch." He climbed in and pulled her into his arms so the other men could get to the backseat, while the last one climbed into the front passenger seat. Leidolf's embrace was warm and comforting.

"Why didn't anyone tell me Satros learned about her earlier?" Leidolf finally said, his voice irritated.

"I figured that she was just a wolf," Elgin said.

Fergus cleared his throat. "Ever since you became pack leader, Satros has made it his mission to locate a mate for you."

Leidolf raised his brows at Fergus. The man smiled back and shrugged. "He's quiet, doesn't ever say much, but he's always had the pack's best interests at heart. And that means making sure you're well satisfied staying with the pack and having a mate to ensure we have offspring to carry the pack forward a generation or two."

"He wasn't wearing his wolf coat when he was trying to track down my mate earlier then, was he?" Leidolf gave Cassie a devilish smile.

She closed her eyes. The old wolf must have been watching her when she was at the creek fishing, but she'd never caught sight of him. And she had news for Mr. Overly Confident One... she was not his mate. She sighed. Just because she danced with him all night long, and just because she couldn't quit gawking at him at the lake or said what she did to get him on his feet when he was drugged didn't mean she wanted Leidolf for a mate now.

"Old Satros didn't say," Fergus said. "He and five of our men are still looking for Sarge."

Leidolf ground his teeth, and Cassie was sure he figured the old man had been wearing his wolf coat earlier today and didn't like it. Or maybe Leidolf's annoyance had something to do with whoever this Sarge was, most likely a real troublemaker.

"Did you see the female red? Had she been with you?" Leidolf asked Cassie, his tone gentle. She still heard the hint of command in his voice, as if he was so used to being in charge that he was having difficulty switching roles to being a concerned male. On the other hand, he probably didn't want his men seeing him in the role of besotted male.

She rested her cheek against his bare chest, his skin warm and his muscles hard, and she vaguely wondered why on this cold spring day his chest would be naked, while his arms were covered in leather. He wrapped his arms around her in a comforting way.

She lifted her head to take another look at him, but the movement sent another sharp pain digging into her shoulder. The last thing she remembered was dropping her head hard against his firm chest and hearing him curse under his breath.

Seeing the number of vehicles at his ranch house as Elgin drove up to the front walk, Leidolf suspected all his pack members had arrived to see Cassie. Wanting to be alone with her until she was better, he growled, "Who called the pack meeting?"

In the Suburban, no one said a word as Fergus hurried to get Leidolf's door for him and Elgin let Pierce and Quincy out of the back of the vehicle. Both jumped out and bounded to greet Leidolf as if they hadn't seen him in ages, maybe attempting to get into his good graces again after this latest fiasco.

Leidolf carried a sleeping Cassie to the house, but Elgin's and Fergus's jackets exposed too much of her long shapely legs in front of the rest of his men to his liking, despite the fact they were used to the nudity issue when shifting. But changing form occurred quickly as a means to prevent humans from catching them in the middle of a shape-shift. This wasn't at all the same. At least that's how he rationalized his not liking his men seeing Cassie so exposed.

Then this business of Elgin calling the pack together irked him. Leidolf cast him a harsh look.

Elgin didn't look cowed. He should have, for once! In fact, if Leidolf had to describe his expression, he'd say his sub-leader looked rather pleased with the turnout. He couldn't help but be satisfied that Elgin was showing some real leadership qualities.

Leidolf wasn't about to let Elgin know it, though, in the event his sub-leader entertained the notion of pulling another stunt like this. "Elgin?"

"I told Laney we were bringing in the injured woman, the wolf biologist you took to the club last night. She must have called the alert roster."

"Why? This isn't an emergency where all our pack members need to be present. It's like crying wolf." Leidolf raised both brows to emphasize the importance of his comment.

"Laney must have misinterpreted what I told her." Elgin shrugged, not looking in the least bit worried.

Leidolf glanced at a smiling Fergus as he got the door, but the man quickly hid the expression. No one came out of the house to greet them as Leidolf headed toward the front door with his precious bundle of soft and supple woman. But Leidolf noticed some movement in at least three of the windows.

He buried an exasperated sigh. The woman wasn't his. Yet. He certainly intended for her to be. He didn't need his whole pack to coerce her to stay; he planned to do his very best in that regard.

Fergus moved out of Leidolf's path. To Leidolf's relief, only a couple of the men greeted him in the great room with serious expressions, nods of heads, and nothing more. Everyone else stayed out of sight. Probably afraid he'd really be pissed if they crowded him when the woman was injured.

Laney hurried out of the kitchen. Elgin quickly shook his head at her as if to warn her Leidolf wasn't pleased with what they had done. She ignored her husband's warning and hurried after Leidolf.

"Is she still bleeding?"

"No. She's lost some blood though."

"We need to get her a transfusion. Can't we take her to the hospital?" Laney asked, hurrying behind him as he stalked toward his bedroom.

"She'll build it back up. We have no medical staff at the hospital, as you're well aware. And we can't explain the bullet wound." He glanced back at Laney, who was wringing her hands, and he realized that, for the first time since he'd known her, she was rattled. He softened his tone. "She'll be all right in our care." Then he frowned. "You didn't need to call the alert roster for this."

Laney had the nerve to look innocent. "Elgin said it really was important. That the whole pack needed to know."

Leidolf looked in Elgin's direction. This time Elgin appeared sheepish.

"Uh-huh," Leidolf said, then strode into the bedroom.

"I'll help you tape up her wound, but then I have to see to Felicity." Laney hurried to pull his covers back on the bed, and he smelled the fresh scent of spring.

She must have washed his sheets in a hurry, just in time to bring his little red wolf home with him. At least he approved of her doing that.

"The babies aren't on their way yet, are they?" he asked.

He laid Cassie in his bed and then set Elgin's and Fergus's jackets aside. Her skin was pale, and she seemed so much more demure while sleeping under the influence of the drug. He took her hand and ran his thumb over the delicate bones in her fingers, so small compared to his large hands. Yet despite how fragile she seemed at times, she showed strength of character--like when she'd tried to rescue him, instead of running off to save her own skin from the hunters who'd shot him. Not many werewolves would have done so when they weren't even a member of the pack.

After rummaging through drawers in the bathroom, Laney hurried back into the bedroom. "Yes, the babies are on their way. Here." She handed him the tape and sterile gauze. "I'll get something to clean up the dried blood." She hurried back to the master bathroom.

Leidolf pulled the covers up to Cassie's waist and then brushed a wisp of silky hair away from her cheek. Now in peaceful sleep, she seemed so different. As if it had been eons ago that he was in the same situation, drugged, although the caffeine seemed to be wearing off, and all the running around he'd been doing seemed to be catching up to him.

But no longer did he see her as the woman who had leaned close to him, tantalizing him with taunting words and her seductive scent and body, whispering to him with a hot and sexy voice, touching him as if she were already his lover. Nor did he see her as the woman who had scowled at him, worried, attempting to help him to stand, trying to get him to safety.

Now she was at peace, content and angelic, and wounded. He hoped the injury wouldn't cause her too much discomfort later when the tranquilizer wore off. He did have something that would aid her sleep to keep her from feeling any pain during the night.

So what mood would she wear when she woke?

He didn't want to think about it. Combative? Maybe. Ready to bolt? Probably, if the way she took off when his men found him was any indication. Or the way she'd given him the slip at the B&B, and Carver also when he had followed her out of town. And Leidolf wouldn't forget her last words to him when he'd been drugged, pointed and commanding, Leave me alone.

If he'd been just any man or she just any woman, he might have done just that, left her alone. But no matter what she said, her actions and, hell, her pheromones spoke much louder and clearer than words. She wanted him. He just had to ensure she saw her feelings for what they truly were.

Laney hurried back into the bedroom and handed Leidolf a couple of warm, wet washcloths and a dry towel. "Here, I'll let you do this," she said. "I'll return later."

"To be with Felicity?" he asked, crouching beside the bed and washing away the dried blood on the nymph's arm, her skin golden and silky.

"Yes, yes. The babies are due soon."

Leidolf looked up at her, noting her anxiousness. "The other women?" Surely Felicity wasn't alone.

"Ready to help her. I think Felicity has pretty much decided to birth them as a wolf. Easier that way."

So then why the anxiousness? The women rarely had trouble with multiple births because of their lupus garou strength.

Leidolf ran the warm washcloth over Cassie's shoulder blade and lower, where drips of blood had trailed down her breast, careful not to touch her wound. She was beautiful. Every inch of her.

"When will you return?" He again looked at Laney's expression, suspecting she had darker motives. Six other women in the pack could watch Felicity and help her take care of her babies. Why would Laney need to be there, too?

He realized then how much he relied on her help, as much as he did her mate's.

"I'll return as soon as I can. Elgin says you were with Cassie at the club until it closed. That she's that wolf biologist you listened to earlier in the night. Since you know her somewhat, it would probably be better if you stayed with her until I returned. Unless you want Elgin to."

Leidolf gave her a look like she had to be joking. Laney gave a wry smile.

"Is Felicity's mate with her?"

Laney chuckled. "Of course. I swear you'd think Harvey is having the babies. He's been complaining of severe stomach pains all afternoon. Says it was food poisoning, but we all know better. And you know how it is when the female of our species has babies. The woman is finally in charge. Every time she snaps at him--for getting her in this way in the first place, he jumps. And after the babies come, she'll still be in charge." Laney gave an evil smile and nodded at Cassie. "Remember that when the time comes."

Taping the gauze over Cassie's wound, Leidolf shook his head. Harvey was a beta. Leidolf would never be like that, although the notion of getting to that stage in his relationship with Cassie sure appealed. "Let me know how everything turns out for Felicity."

"I will. Elgin told everyone no one is to disturb you. I'll return as soon as I can." Laney headed out of the room, faster than he had ever seen her move, and shut the door behind her.

He assumed it was a calculating matchmaking scheme on her part. As soon as she shut the door and the house was quiet, the adrenaline that had built up in his system drained off. Now he felt like a tired, old wolf, needing a well-deserved nap. He covered Cassie with the comforter and then walked across the room to the recliner Laney had picked out for him, saying he needed it for relaxation. Going to the forest, to the lake where he'd seen his nymph, was his place to relax. It would never be the same after finding her there. And he wished they could return some day and take up where they'd left off.

At first, he sat down in the recliner, pulled out the footrest, and stretched out. He tried to keep his eyes open while he watched Cassie sleeping soundly. She turned over, and the comforter slipped down, exposing her breasts. He groaned, remembering how as a wolf he'd licked the left one. Except he'd been a lot groggier then. Sighing, he hoped she'd heal quickly and didn't suffer from her injury for long.

He rubbed his chin and stared at the sleeping beauty. What if she woke after he fell asleep? What if she tried to slip away without him or any one of his pack members knowing it?

He wouldn't put it past her.

Hell. He rubbed his eyes. He couldn't stay awake. She had taunted him, saying he wasn't such a big, bad wolf after all. Smiling, he thought he wouldn't be too awfully bad, but she'd asked for it.

He left the chair, stalked over to the bed, and studied her sleeping face. She was beautiful in a wild wolf way. And just as radiant as a human. And his. Once he convinced her of it.

He climbed into bed, slipped under the covers, and gathered her gently into his arms. She snuggled up against him as if she belonged there. Which she did. If he didn't hold her, he told himself, she could still wake and leave him while he slept without his knowing it.

Her satiny skin against his, the heat of her body, and her scent made him want her all the more, but he set aside his cravings to mate and closed his eyes, his one hand caressing her back, the other resting on a soft buttock. Her cheek was against his chest, her warm breath tickled his skin. She was the embodiment of everything magical.

And woman and wolf--all his.

Poseidon rose from the sea as a veritable hunk of a god, droplets of water clinging to him like translucent pearls, as if the clams had given up their claim to their hidden treasures for the god they adored. Poseidon was the seducer of women, just like his brother, Zeus, god of all the gods. It was the god of the sea who held her attention now, wove a spell of compliance over her, encouraged her to stay right where she was, standing next to the hemlocks.

Half-wanting to remain with him, half-wanting to leave before it was too late, she stood in awe. Eyes the color of the sea, green and expressive, gazed into hers as if reading every wickedly sinful thought she had--from the notion of licking each water droplet off his golden body to kissing his rigid nipples and his full lips born to seduce.

And she was... Artemis, goddess of the hunt and of the moon. The goddess was supposed to be chaste, but Cassie didn't feel the least bit innocent as she smiled a little at the sea god. Looking as though he couldn't wait another second to have her in his arms, he advanced on her, taking great strides through the water.

Suddenly, she, who was supposed to be the hunter, felt hunted and fought taking a step back. Go to him, a little voice goaded her. Show him how much you really want him. Be the one in charge.

Which suited her fine. In response, she moved toward him, not in a stalking way like he did, her stride shorter, but she walked with as much purpose, her gaze willing him to back down now. But, of course, he didn't. And in fact, his lips twitched upward, his eyes sparkling with mirth.

So much for her being in charge. He had her right where he wanted her. As far as she was concerned, she felt the same way about him.

Then before she knew what was happening, he was peeling her huntress clothes off her, the safari hat, her backpack, shirt, and tank top. She didn't remember the rest, only that he was lying naked beneath her as if she'd tackled him, his body heated and musky and masculine. Her own body naked against his felt sexy and aroused.

The hair of his chest tickled her breasts, his nipples standing at attention, waiting for her kisses, and his erection poked her in the belly. It was the way his hand stroked her back with a sensual caress and his other that rested on her buttock that really got her attention. Even now the heat and ache pervaded her loins, and she spread her legs, opening herself up to him, welcoming him in.

Unable to sleep just yet, Leidolf held Cassie in his arms and continued to lightly stroke her back, loving the feel of her silky skin, thinking about everything she'd said and done when he'd first met her. He still couldn't believe she'd been one of his kind all along, hiding the fact from him and everyone else.

No wonder she knew so much about wolves. He couldn't fathom why she'd be so attached to wolves of the lupus-only persuasion. That she'd work as a wolf biologist studying them and championing their cause. Yet the way she spoke about wolves and her obvious love of them endeared her to him.

He threaded his fingers through her satiny hair, recalling the conversation they'd had at the restaurant. She'd teased about attracting wolves if she howled, knowing full well the place was filled with their kind. He smiled at her deviousness. He understood why she kept her secret from them. She was in his territory, under his jurisdiction. Running around in her wolf form wasn't allowed unless he said so, or she was at risk for not doing so. He didn't believe for an instant that she'd been at risk until she'd become a wolf.

Shaking him loose of his thoughts, the vixen spread her legs in an open invitation to sex. Her scent was an aphrodisiac as it was, keeping him fully hard and wanting. She was awake and wanting him in return?

He stilled his hand on her back and opened his eyes. And frowned at the top of her head, her cheek resting soundly on his chest. She seemed to be fully asleep. Hell. What was he thinking? He'd hoped she was offering herself to him. That was what he was thinking. He sighed. Her pheromones were telling him a different story, and if he reached down and touched her between her legs, he was sure he'd find her wet and ready for his penetration. Was she dreaming of having sex with him?

When she was ready, he'd be all too willing to oblige. For now, he needed to spend time with her, show her what he was capable of, if she gave him half a chance. With the gentlest of touches, he caressed her back, hoping he'd help to fulfill her fantasies even if she was only dreaming.

His real hope was she would wake and want what he was willing to offer her: a pack to preside over, a family, but most of all--him.